Worcester native gives $7.8M for WPI scholarships

WORCESTER -- A Worcester native who attended Worcester Polytechnic Institute for one year in the 1930s has committed to giving the university $7.8 million for scholarships.

Henry R. Poplawski, 98, a retired pilot who lives in Dayton, Ohio, eventually finished college on the West Coast and became a pilot, test pilot and aeronautical engineer.

"WPI got me on the right path. I probably wouldn't have gone to college otherwise. I had no money to complete my studies, so I want to help others continue theirs," Mr. Poplawski said in a press release. "I don't want anyone else to have to leave school because they can't afford it."

Dennis D. Berkey, WPI's president, and his wife visited Mr. Poplawski to thank him personally and gave him an honorary bachelor of science in engineering degree.

The university invited him to WPI's scholarship dinner Wednesday, but he declined, saying he was "done flying."

Contact Jacqueline Reis via email at jreis@telegram.com and follow her on Twitter @JackieReisTG.